2005, June. Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu. Power Point presentation and Concept note at the 17th Biannual meeting of the Learning Accounting Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP) network held in Netherlands, 9-10 June, 2005. Available at www.alnap.org/

The presentation material outlines the challenge of redressing the gender blind humanitarian practices in disaster aftermath. Gender based prejudices and divisions mainly affect women. Existing socio-structural biases mean women are almost always more vulnerable in the aftermath of a disaster, in terms of security, safety, and women’s access to relief goods and recovery information is limited. Implications for men, also reflect the prevailing gender-based social norms and expectations as observed in the case of tsunami aftermath. Key words: Sri Lanka, humanitarian practices, gender sensitivity, emergency assistance